LD24 Chairman Timothy Lee can use your prayers. He is home this evening from emergency surgery on a severely infected toe that has been dealing him fits since last June. This is his sixth surgery on the toe. The foot requires elevation and six weeks of rest. Lee reports he is in great spirits and praying that the surgeon got all the infection this time.

Yesterday, Congressman Paul A. Gosar, DDS, Vice Chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, offered the following toast before his opening statement at the subcommittee hearing examining The 2016 California Water Supply Outlook During the El Niño and Three Years of Restricted Water Deliveries: “We have an expression in the West that ‘Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.’ Given that the hearing today is the first major hearing this year on California water, and that California and Arizona have a long history of fighting over water that dates back to at least the 1920s, I brought some whiskey, and before we get to the fighting, I would like to propose a toast: “May God bless this hearing. May we make real progress here today so that Congress can finally provide some form of relief for drought conditions and from policies that are crippling Western communities. And finally, may extremist environmentalist groups and others who are holding back commonsense solutions and comprehensive west-wide drought relief legislation that passed the House last July, put the interests of small businesses, farmers and American families ahead of the interests of a three-inch fish. Let the fighting begin. Cheers.”

Clearing out your closet? Downsizing your house? Kids heading off to college? Want to get organized? Whatever your reason might be, if you have too much stuff, consider donating it to the Tempe Republican Women's Spring Garage Sale. To schedule merchandise pickup from your house, call 480.306.2545 or email President Jessica Merrow. Items can also be dropped off beginning March 18 at 2009 E Caroline Ln, Tempe. The garage sales are scheduled from 7 am-6 pm., Fri., March 25 and from 7 am-2 pm., Sat., March 26.

Mesa Republican Women will meet from 11 am-1 pm., Thurs., March 3 at 1900 E. University Drive, Suite 11, Mesa 85213. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will talk about what being “America’s Toughest Sheriff” means to him and what he’s doing to keep the people of Maricopa County and all of Arizona safe. $10 per member, $12 for visitors. RSVP deadline is Sun, Feb 28 to mesarepublicanwomen@cox.net or call (480) 615-0524. MRW meets the first Thursday of each month (no August). Lunch is $10 for members, $12 for visitors/guests. Membership is $25, Jan-Dec and Men/Associate Memberships are $15. A candidate forum for the Arizona Corporation Commission is scheduled for the April 7 meeting. Contact President Sherry Piercemesarepublicanwomen@cox.net or call (480) 615-0524.

Former LD2 Chairman Don Woolley: It is a sad day when Republican leadership viciously attacks Donald Trump, the leader in the Presidential Primary. Mitt Romney even went so far today to make a straw man accusation about Donald Trump's taxes, after a lying Harry Reid pulled a similar stunt against Romney in 2012. Why do these cowards, and we all know who they are, have no qualms about attacking a legitimate candidate in the R party, but then are so afraid of being called a racist, they let Barrack Obama do whatever he wanted and helped him fund this entire disaster for over 7 years, including Obamacare? Donald Trump is going to win the primary, and there is not a damn thing they can do about it. And the more they attack, the stronger he is going to get with the people who now feel they have a real voice!

Maricopa County Supt of Schools Don Covey: I am always amazed on how much information you provide in your publications, you do us all proud. Did notice on the third paragraph that Jana Jackson is running for the Maricopa County School Superintendent's office. Jana is one of four candidates that will give voters an opportunity to determine its future leadership for Maricopa County School District's and charters. In any event I noticed, good friend, that the spelling my last name was Covy. Frosty no problem, I just have had several of our Republican colleagues bring it to my attention. Again thank you for all you do for our great Republican Party. Editor’s Note: Sorry about the typo. I know your name is spelled Covey. I’ll try to do better. Thanks for the kind words. – ft

Former AZGOP Chairman Tom Morrissey: We just returned from Nevada where 19 of us from Arizona, volunteered for the Trump Campaign, working 12 hour days of pure excitement. Monday evening we were at the largest political gathering in the history of Nevada, where 12,000 people heard a rousing speech from Donald Trump, who was introduced by our own Sheriff Joe Arpaio. We were all proud to be there and proud of Donald Trump and Sheriff Joe. See: arpaio-Will-Do-Everything-I-Can...

Maricopa County Sheriff Candidate Marsha Hill will address the Sun City Republican Club at 7 pm., March 21 in the Sundial Recreation Center – East Hall. Contact: www.marshahillforsheriff2016.com

West Valley Dad Bob Richards will be one proud man as his son Patrick Sean Richards graduates in June from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Jinny Perron: Thank you for all your dedication and hard work in keeping us informed on matters so critical to Arizona and our Country! God Bless You!

Sen John McCain joined GCU fans Saturday night for the final home basketball game of the season. Team McCain interns from GCU attended the game with John and Cindy McCain as well as Jerry Colangelo.

Sen John McCain will visit Mekong Plaza, 66 Dobson Road in Mesa and host a town hall at 3:30pm., Fri., Feb 26.

The Central Republican Women of Phoenix will meet for dinner at 6:15 pm., March 3 at the Hilton Phoenix Suites, 10 E Thomas Road, Phx to hear a presentation by Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell. 5:30 pm social. $30 per person. Dinner reservations required. RSVP to Jan Webb at reservations@crwop.org or 602-318-1010 no later than Sun, Feb 28th, whether attending or not attending. Purcell was elected to the office of Maricopa County Recorder in November 1988 and is now serving her seventh term. She is the second woman to hold this position since 1871. Born in Topeka, Kansas, she has been a Phoenix resident since 1964.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas today released the following statement on the decision by the Senate yesterday to approve SB 1416, which strips the constitutional elected office of the Superintendent of vital duties and assigns them to an unelected and unaccountable board. “I have heard SB 1416 referred to by some as a ‘divorce bill.’ In reality, this bill is essentially a forced marriage that will do nothing to solve this conflict and will open the door for the State Board of Education to initiate additional litigation. Many of the provisions in the bill will give the Board the authority to make demands of the Arizona Department of Education that it has neither the resources nor funding to fulfill. This perceived noncompliance will allow Board leadership to follow their preferred course of action: filing additional lawsuits as opposed to mediating the issue in good faith.

“This complex legislation should have been openly discussed with the voters of Arizona, not expedited through the process in hopes that the people it affects would not have time to react. The proposals in this bill will impact the Arizona education system immensely, yet as the elected official whose powers it would strip, I was not brought to the table when it was being drafted nor as it was fast tracked through the Senate. The people of this state elect a Superintendent of Public Instruction because they expect that person to represent their views and passionately advocate for their children. By weakening the office, this legislation will negatively impact our state‘s democratic foundations for generations to come. I, for one, will never support actions that seek to silence the voices of Arizona voters.”

AzCDL Alert:: HB 2524 Has Been Scheduled for a House Committee of the Whole (COW) debate on Thursday, February 25. Tell Reps To Support HB 2524. HB 2524 provides our best opportunity to derail the coming Bloomberg financed ballot measure to establish gun owner registration in Arizona before it happens. The passage of HB 2524 would establish an interstate compact that restricts member states from enacting firearms transfer requirements greater than existing federal law. In essence, this would create a ceiling that state law could not exceed. Current federal law has few limitations on intrastate private party firearm transfers between non-prohibited possessors. Compacts between states supersede individual state law. An example of an interstate compact is the uniform recognition of our drivers’ licenses. Once HB 2524 is enacted in Arizona and at least one other state becomes a party to the compact, a subsequent state law, or even a ballot measure, cannot override it. The passage of HB 2524 is critical. Under Arizona’s Constitution, as long as the petition signature gathering process is successful, a measure will appear on the ballot. The Legislature cannot prevent it. Once passed, a ballot measure is essentially permanent. The Legislature cannot override it. Bloomberg funded anti-rights groups are exploiting this weakness in several state constitutions. They spent over $10 Million on the passage of a ballot measure in Washington in 2014. In 2015 they succeeded in meeting the petition signature gathering requirements in Nevada and Maine. As a result, they will see gun owner registration schemes on their 2016 ballots. They will come to Arizona. HB 2524 is the way to stop them. Email your Representatives today. They are waiting for you here. These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization.

US Senate Candidate Clair Van Steenwyk comments on Supt.Diane Douglas' statement on SB 1416. I and others urged Douglas in 2015 Ed Committee not to go along with Sen. Kelli Wards' Amendment to HB 2184 stripping Supt. Authority. The Supt. was told prior to hearing it's a slippery slope/legislative trap. Supt. Douglas chose staffs advice going along with Ward & Gov Doug Ducey, the bill passed the Senate, our group lobbied the House members and Won killing the Bill in spite of Wards lobbying for it. Leaping forward to 2016's SB 1416 twin of Wards' SB 1038 except for minor technical corrections added in taking more authority from Supt., which is the Peoples' Office not a temporary elected resident. This trap was set by Ducey to take over Ed in AZ, as Sen. Jeff Dial stated intends to make it an appointed position, there's a Bill in House to do just that if passed then we'd have a Supt. & Board of CZARS all appointed by the Governors Office also a temporary job, as We the People & Children wouldn't have anyone in Ed Accountable. I hope those in office realize they're altering the Republic of AZ, We the People won't go quietly into the night. Recall the 2014 Election the Citizens replaced Supt John Huppenthal and have the same ability to do this to any Elected Officials who chose to call this Clarification of Statutes when in Truth it's Truly Removing the Authority of a Duly Elected Official by the Voters and Replacing it with a Governor Appointed Board of CZARS. We pray our AZ elected officials listen to the Voters / Allies rather than the Bureaucrats and Lobbyists and Governor. www.Vote4Van.com

Congressman Paul A. Gosar after introducing H.R. 4601, legislation that will resolve a non-controversial legal hurdle allowing for the pursuit of new economic development projects within the City of Flagstaff: “This important bipartisan legislation will create jobs, bring in new revenues for the City and allow a private property owner to make use of their own property. Our bill ensures that private land will be utilized for important economic development and will not revert back to the federal government as a result of an outdated provision from the 1860's. Specifically, this important legislation will allow for commercial development of this land to move forward, including restaurants, hotels and large-scale retail. I’m proud to have worked with my Arizona colleagues, BNSF Railroad and the City of Flagstaff to craft this commonsense legislation.” Following introduction of the legislation, Flagstaff Mayor Jerry Nabours stated, “I commend Congressman Gosar and Congresswoman Kirkpatrick for introducing this important piece of legislation that will allow us to finalize our land exchange with the railroad. This has been in limbo until this ambiguity in the law was clarified. I’m excited to work with our congressional delegation to push this legislation into law to resolve this issue once and for all.” Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) stated, “I am always glad to work together and solve problems -- it's part of our job as representatives. Our legislation will cut red tape and boost Flagstaff's economic development, and that fits right in with my vision for a stable, diverse economy across Arizona.”

AZGOP Chairman Robert Graham: Two years into President Obama’s first term, voters rebelled and put Republicans in control of the U. S. House. Two years into his second term voters put Republicans in control of the Senate. With less than a year left in her party leader's final term, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick — who had lost her seat in 2010 when Arizona voters reacted to Obama the first time — is still sticking with her plan of blind allegiance to a failed administration in Washington, D.C., that wants one final shot at shaping the nation’s future.

With the passing of Justice Scalia leaving an opening on the U. S. Supreme Court, Senate Republicans want to give the new president, to be elected this fall with a fresh mandate from voters, the opportunity to make the nomination and proceed with the confirmation process.

“Ann Kirkpatrick’s blind allegiance to President Obama and his failed agenda means she wants him to take one more shot at destroying our nation by handing the Supreme Court over to the liberals,” said Graham. "Obama’s Democratic Party has lost the House, they lost the Senate, they’re going to lose the White House, and that means voters don’t want to let this lame duck Democrat use the Supreme Court nomination process as a parting shot. Barack Obama is now officially a president-in-name-only, a White House tenant at the end of his lease."

Flashback To Democrat Opposition To GOP Nominees

· Vice President Joe Biden: "Once the political season is underway, action on a Supreme Court nomination must be put off until after the election campaign is over." (1992) biden: should not hold hearing

· Senator Chuck Schumer: “We should reverse the presumption of confirmation. The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.” (2007) schumer-to-fight-bush-high-court-picks-

· President Obama: "I will be supporting the filibuster because I think Judge Alito, in fact, is somebody who is contrary to core American values, not just liberal values. When you look at his decisions--in particular, during times of war--we need a court that is independent and is going to provide some check on the executive branch." (2006) judge-alito-confirmation

Congresswoman Martha McSally has called on Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to utilize technologies like those developed at the University of Arizona (UA) to enhance screening of visa applicants. In a letter, McSally highlighted UA’s Neuro-Screen technology, which has the potential to help agents detect deception at U.S. ports of entry or visa processing centers. “Deception can be difficult to detect when you’re interviewing an individual face to face,” McSally wrote. “It is even more difficult to detect that deception in online forms. The technology developed at the University of Arizona, Neuro-Screen, identifies typing, scrolling, and other computer use patterns to capture motor nervous system signals associated with deceptive or suspicious behavior.”

McSally successfully advocated for inclusion of a provision that requires the Department of Homeland Security to incorporate technology that detects fraud and deception. That provision was added to the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, which passed the House on December 8, 2015 and was later signed into law.

In June, she brought up the technologies at a Homeland Security Committee hearing on international border security programs. The following month, she held a demonstration in Washington to showcase the technology’s uses.

“As you are aware, the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France and the rise of ISIS’ intent to launch attacks in western countries have exposed vulnerabilities in the Visa Waiver Program...,” McSally wrote. “We must leverage technology, such as Neuro-Screen, to enhance screening programs like the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). I look forward to continuing to work with you to disrupt terror travel and enhance our vetting systems.” Letter Here.

George and Darla Grove are hosting a ‘Meet The Candidates’ gathering for CD1 candidate Gary Kiehne and US Senate candidate Kelli Ward at 5:30 pm., Fri., Feb 26 at 63791 East Cat Claw Lanen, SaddleBrooke, AZ. RSVP to ggrove7@earthlink.net or 520-818-1144.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be conducting meetings to gather public input on the impacts of recreational target shooting in the 486,400-acre Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM) to deter whether/what extent recreational shooting will be allowed in the future.

Recreational shooters and National Rifle Association (NRA) members are urged to attend/or submit comments to the BLM. Mail comments to the BLM's project manager, Wayne Monger, at 21605 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85027, or fax to (623) 580-5623, or e-mail to BLM_AZ_SDNMtargetshooting@BLM.gov.

Newly Appointed Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin will conduct a Commissioners Town Hall in the Yuma City Hall at 9 am., March 1. He will conduct Town Halls in April in Mohave County and in May in Navajo and Apache County. See www.azcc.gov

ATTN Club Chairmen/Secretaries: Please include the time and location of your event, as well as a contact name, phone or e-mail when submitting event announcements. Thanks for your cooperation. – Editor Frosty Taylor.

The Fountain Hills Republican Club will have a voter outreach booth at the corner of Verde River Drive/Avenue of the Fountains – near the Chamber information booth during the Great Fountain Hills Fair that runs from10 am-5 pm., Fri, Feb 26 through Sun-Feb 28. The event features all kinds of vendors, food booths, the VFW Beer Garden, political booths, etc.

Call The White House202-456-1111 Comments. Switchboard: 202-456-1414. Contact Senate https://www.senate.gov/ or Representatives http://www.house.gov/Let them know how you feel. Hold their feet to the fire. They wanted these positions so badly, hold them accountable.Arizona delegation phone numbers:

The Prescott Valley Oathkeepers will meet at 5 pm., Thurs., Feb 25 at the Puerta Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, 11901 E. Hwy 69, Dewey, AZ, 86327. (south of the Fain Road/PCC intersection on west side of hwy). Using rear dining room. Please use park in the back.

Feb 26

George and Darla Grove are hosting a ‘Meet The Candidates’ gathering for CD1 candidate Gary Kiehne and US Senate candidate Kelli Ward at 5:30 pm., Fri., Feb 26 at 63791 East Cat Claw Lanen, SaddleBrooke, AZ. RSVP to ggrove7@earthlink.net or 520-818-1144

Lost Dutchman Days are scheduled Feb 26-28 in Apache Junction. Parade on Saturday Feb 26.

VFW Post 7507 will host a VFW Beer Garden and during the Fountain Hills Great Fair between 10 am-5 pm., Feb 26-28. A mini-Beer Garden will also be located in the food court area along Verde River Drive south of the Avenue of the Fountains. At the main Beer Garden, fresh brats, hot dogs and chili will be available. Admittance to the Beer Garden is free. Beverage and food are available for purchase.

A Kick-Off Party For Yavapai County District 1 Board of Supervisors incumbent Rowle Simmons is scheduled between 5-7 pm., Mon, Feb 29 at the Jersey Lily on Whiskey Row, Prescott. The primary election is Aug. 30, 2016. The general election is Nov. 8, 2016.

The American Heritage DVD series by historian David Barton of Wallbuilders will be presented between 1-3 pm., Feb 29 at the AZ GOP Headquarters West Valley office, 10050 W. Bell Rd. Suite 50. Free to public. Call 623-815-8557 or 623-977-4532 . Facilitated by living history presenter Bonnie Angster. Series will focus on the Constitution, the Judiciary, Education and Black History.

The Pima County Republican Lincoln Dinner is scheduled at 6:30 pm., Mon., Feb 29 featuring Gov Doug Ducey in the Grand Ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel, 445 S Alvernon Way., Tucson. Social – 5:30 pm., $35 per person. RSVP to Republican Headquarters at 520-321-1492 by Feb 24. A Trunk & Tusk Event will be hosted by National Republican Committeeman Bruce Ash with a private reception with the governor at 5:30 pm. Reception $20.

MARCH 1

Secretary of State Michelle Reagan will address the Surprise Tea Party on Tues., March 1 in the Grand Canyon Rm of the Sun City W Foundation Plaza, 14465 W RH Johnson Blvd., Sun City West, according to John Madeira. jmadeira@surpriseteapartypatriots.com